Franklin Delano Roosevelt
(January 30, 1882-April 12, 1945)
Democratic Party
March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945 (3 terms)
Vice Presidents: John Garner (1st term), Henry Wallace (2nd term), Harry Truman (3rd term)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the United States of America. He was the only president to serve for more than to terms, serving for three and winning his fourth presidential election which would have given his fourth term. Roosevelt gave the USA key leadership which helped the nation survive the depression, and then brilliantly led the allied cause to victory in World War 2. Furthermore, his New Deal, while not perfect, stimulated the dead American economy, and made many influential reforms. For his efforts as president, FDR deserves an A+ for his presidency. He is undoubtedly the 2nd greatest president to ever lead the nation only after the legendary Abraham Lincoln.
New Deal Goals
When FDR began his first term, the nation had gone to hell. The economy was at its lowest point ever. The jobless rate was at a ridiculous 25%, and nearly all of the nations banks had closed. Furthermore, since so few people had jobs no one could afford any merchandise, which meant that industries weren’t making any money, and even more people lost their jobs in this terrible economic cycle. FDR decided jumped right into action with his One Hundred Day’s Congress, where innumerous amounts of bills were passed. Roosevelt’s New Deal Focused on Relief, Recovery and Reform.
He immediately gave relief by employing people in various government agencies under the Federal Agency Relief Administration, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps Works Progress Administration. He needed to reopen the banks, since there could be no economy in a bank less society. He famously said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”, in regards to people cashing all their money out of a bank in fear that they might lose all of it. He quickly passed the Emergency Bank Act which tried to reopen banks. Some 5,000 reopened, and he soon after signed the Glass-Steagle Act which founded the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Next, he had to deal with farmers and their ridiculous surpluses which were the true cause of the depression. The Agricultural Adjustment Admission gave farmers money for cutting down on production in order to decrease surpluses. FDR wanted to reform industry, and he passed the National Industrial Recovery Act, which monitored industrial prices, made industries increase wages, and benefited unions. However, the government was intervening in the economy too much and in a unanimous decision Supreme Court ruled the act unconstitutional. Soon after, Congress passed the Securities and Exchange Commission of 1934 to regulate Wall Street. Roosevelt also succeeded in boosting the economy by ratifying the 21st Amendment which got rid of prohibition, although there were still restrictions on Alcohol. Finally, he removed the gold standard, making currency on its current standard, a non-metal backed monetary system. This, he felt, would stabilize the dollar.
In 1935 the Social Security Act was passed, helping insure people for future recessions. However, the act ended up having a negative effect as its high taxes led to a spike in unemployment in 1937. FDR succeeded in boosting the economy. He lowered the unemployment rate of 25% in 1933 to 14.3% in the beginning of 1937(Although it went back up a bit after that due to the Social Security Taxes). The economy grew exponentially not only through the New Deal era but also during World War 2.
Roosevelt’s thinking process going into the New Deal was that it was better to try something and have it fail then try nothing at all. For if it fails then you can change it so it works, but if you do nothing then the economy will only worsen and we’ll fall into an even bigger pit than we ever were. Therefore, even though some of Roosevelt’s programs didn’t work and the New Deal didn’t completely bring the US economy, it was still a very good idea, and the New Deal was beneficial to the country and we would be better of with it rather than without.
Foreign Policy/War Goals
The beginning term or so of FDR’s presidency did not include much foreign interaction. Notable events were his reorganization of the Soviet Union as a nation, which represents how he was trying to get on better terms with the Russians as things were looking bad in Germany. Roosevelt did not want a worldwide effort to fight the depression, as represented from his “bombshell” message to the world monetary conference which ended the worldwide effort to stabilize currencies. Later in the ‘30s, Roosevelt improved relations with Latin America with his Good Neighbor Policy. He removed US troops from Haiti, Cuba and Panama. This shows how he wanted to ally with the entire continent but not dominate it, since if he were to dominate it small Latin nations may seek help from communistic or fascist governments.
In the late thirties Europe was edging closer to World War 2. While Roosevelt supported the allies and wanted to remain neutral to fighting but assist Britain and France, the US people clamored for not allowing us to sell them arms with the Neutrality Act. These acts really hurt Britain and France early on in the war; had France been able to easily purchase planes from the US the German invasion of France wouldn’t have been even close to as easy as it ended up being. As time went by, Roosevelt began to help the Allies more and more. After Paris fell the nation was nearly in total agreement to support the allies, and they passed the influential Lend-Lease Act which said that we would give weapons to Britain, China, and later the Soviet Union. Roosevelt wanted to help the allies as much as possible without being dragged into the war. He wasn’t naïve, however. He built up the army and navy in 1940-1941, since it seemed that eventually the US would be dragged into the war.
After Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt’s goals were pretty simple. Win the war. Crush Germany, Italy, and Japan. He quickly rallied the armies and helped the British and Russians by supplying them with lots of weapons. The US assisted the British with invasions of Nazi Africa, then campaigns up into Italy, and finally on D-Day, the US invaded Normandy, and we began fighting our way into the continent. Roosevelt felt that the European war was more important than the Pacific one against the Japanese, probably because the Pacific was such a large ocean and he wanted to stop the holocaust. He didn’t neglect the Pacific war, though, as the US utilized the Island Hoping Strategy so that they could use their powerful air force. Roosevelt forced all Japanese, Italian, and German Americans into Internment camps, because they could’ve been working for the enemy nations. This represents how he was taking no chances and wasn’t naïve enough to let them free, even if it was somewhat inhumane.
Relationship with Congress
FDR enjoyed a good relationship with Congress, facing major opposition very rarely, the most notable in his attempts at being able to add judges to the Supreme Court since the standing ones were old and super conservative. This was poor judgment as it appeared as dictatorial and would give even more power to the executive branch, thus destroying the holy checks and balances of American Government. Besides that instance though, Roosevelt enjoyed a great relationship with Congress. At the beginning of his career as president, Congress was vastly dominated by Democrats, at one point by over 2/3 majority in both houses. His 100 days Congress shows how he and Congress worked hand in hand to fight the depression and create the New Deal. Later in his career, Congress became more and more Republican. However, this occurred during the World War 2 era, and the two parties enjoyed a lot of bipartisan cooperation throughout the war. They all had their eyes on the prize, and even the most extreme modern conservatives respect FDR’s strong wartime leadership.
Best Decision
When considering this, one could debate either the New Deal or his World War 2 leadership. However, its pretty obvious that his leadership was by far his greatest achievement. Sure, the New Deal was significant, and he handled his extremely difficult job of getting us out of the depression well, but the New Deal didn’t fully work, and World War 2 not only pulled us out of the depression but is also the turning point in American history as it begins the era of the US being a true global superpower.
FDR, before the war had even started, had the navy and army prepared. This is a good decision because he wasn’t naïve or weak enough to decide to neglect either in order to maintain peace. Its pretty obvious that you can’t make peace with countries like Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy or Imperial Japan. Thus, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, we already had a pretty powerful navy and didn’t get overrun by the Japanese. Also notable is Roosevelt’s support in the air force, which undoubtedly won the Pacific war for the US. World War 2 is significant in that it’s the first war where the best air force effectively obliterated the enemy powers. Also, FDR sponsored the Manhattan Project, which utilized ingenious scientists such as Albert Einstein to design Nuclear bombs. While this had negative effects in the future with the Cold War, and even today, since Nuclear weapons are a great threat to worldwide security, it was a good decision by Roosevelt in case he desperately needed to quickly defeat the Germans or Japanese(which Truman did end up doing).
World War 2 further boosted the nation by finally employing everyone, Men could now be drafted into the army, or work in factories to make weapons. Women also got jobs helping the US produce massive weapons. WW2 marks the true end to the depression, and would lead to a later decade of immense economic boom for the United States. Although many soldiers died during WW2, which is tragic, the was managed to greatly improve the entire nation, which is why Roosevelt’s leadership during it is his greatest achievement.
Worst Decision
FDR did make some mistakes during his presidency, and his most significant one was the Judiciary Reorganization Bill of 1937. He tried to essentially get Congress to approve a bill which would give him the power to admit a new sitting judge to Supreme Court for every member above the age of 70.5 years old with a maximum of 6 appointees. This was greatly opposed by not only the public and republicans but also by even his own party and Vice President Garner. He had overstepped his boundaries with his executive power, and it seemed as though he was becoming an authoritarian leader. It most certainly weakened his otherwise unmatched popularity and perhaps struck some fear in the hearts of citizens who did not want to have a dictator ruling the country(Not that the bill was that extreme). In reality it was simply Roosevelt’s way of trying to get the Supreme Court to cooperate with his reforms, as they oftentimes shot them down saying that they were unconstitutional. In a way, this act did do its true purpose, as the justices did take a hint and started being more cooperative. Roosevelt’s intensions were good, but this Bill was a terrible way of going about it.
Lasting Impact
FDR was a very influential president. He pulled the nation out of the great depression and greatly reformed the stock market as well as the US banking system. He took the nation off of the gold standard and moved it to our current non-metal backed currency. He introduced the Nation to Social Security, which is still utilized today for the retired as well as the unemployed. Furthermore, he completely changed the entire world during World War 2. He ended the holocaust and defeated the evil Nazi and Fascist dictatorships. He led to the US dominance of the planet as the world’s #1 power, and his going into WW2 finally ended the terrible decade of the Great Depression. In leading the country in the way he did, he greatly changed the caliber of the executive branch, and his decision to lead for a third term eventually led to the 22nd Amendment which set the limit at 2. The country was a very different place after FDR died.
In conclusion, FDR was a great president and deserves an A+ for his presidency. His New Deal helped the US fight the depression and his leadership through WW2 was brilliant and very influential. When he left office, the economy was booming and the US would go on to be the world’s most powerful nation. The only president who did a better job than FDR was Lincoln, and it’s a close race between the two. The two ironically have similar stories. Both led the nation through a great trial and then died almost immediately after their job was completed. FDR will be remembered forever as a great leader and one of the best presidents to ever lead the nation.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
(January 30, 1882-April 12, 1945)
Democratic Party
March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945 (3 terms)
Vice Presidents: John Garner (1st term), Henry Wallace (2nd term), Harry Truman (3rd term)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd president of the United States of America. He was the only president to serve for more than to terms, serving for three and winning his fourth presidential election which would have given his fourth term. Roosevelt gave the USA key leadership which helped the nation survive the depression, and then brilliantly led the allied cause to victory in World War 2. Furthermore, his New Deal, while not perfect, stimulated the dead American economy, and made many influential reforms. For his efforts as president, FDR deserves an A+ for his presidency. He is undoubtedly the 2nd greatest president to ever lead the nation only after the legendary Abraham Lincoln.
New Deal Goals
When FDR began his first term, the nation had gone to hell. The economy was at its lowest point ever. The jobless rate was at a ridiculous 25%, and nearly all of the nations banks had closed. Furthermore, since so few people had jobs no one could afford any merchandise, which meant that industries weren’t making any money, and even more people lost their jobs in this terrible economic cycle. FDR decided jumped right into action with his One Hundred Day’s Congress, where innumerous amounts of bills were passed. Roosevelt’s New Deal Focused on Relief, Recovery and Reform.
He immediately gave relief by employing people in various government agencies under the Federal Agency Relief Administration, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps Works Progress Administration. He needed to reopen the banks, since there could be no economy in a bank less society. He famously said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”, in regards to people cashing all their money out of a bank in fear that they might lose all of it. He quickly passed the Emergency Bank Act which tried to reopen banks. Some 5,000 reopened, and he soon after signed the Glass-Steagle Act which founded the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Next, he had to deal with farmers and their ridiculous surpluses which were the true cause of the depression. The Agricultural Adjustment Admission gave farmers money for cutting down on production in order to decrease surpluses. FDR wanted to reform industry, and he passed the National Industrial Recovery Act, which monitored industrial prices, made industries increase wages, and benefited unions. However, the government was intervening in the economy too much and in a unanimous decision Supreme Court ruled the act unconstitutional. Soon after, Congress passed the Securities and Exchange Commission of 1934 to regulate Wall Street. Roosevelt also succeeded in boosting the economy by ratifying the 21st Amendment which got rid of prohibition, although there were still restrictions on Alcohol. Finally, he removed the gold standard, making currency on its current standard, a non-metal backed monetary system. This, he felt, would stabilize the dollar.
In 1935 the Social Security Act was passed, helping insure people for future recessions. However, the act ended up having a negative effect as its high taxes led to a spike in unemployment in 1937. FDR succeeded in boosting the economy. He lowered the unemployment rate of 25% in 1933 to 14.3% in the beginning of 1937(Although it went back up a bit after that due to the Social Security Taxes). The economy grew exponentially not only through the New Deal era but also during World War 2.
Roosevelt’s thinking process going into the New Deal was that it was better to try something and have it fail then try nothing at all. For if it fails then you can change it so it works, but if you do nothing then the economy will only worsen and we’ll fall into an even bigger pit than we ever were. Therefore, even though some of Roosevelt’s programs didn’t work and the New Deal didn’t completely bring the US economy, it was still a very good idea, and the New Deal was beneficial to the country and we would be better of with it rather than without.
Foreign Policy/War Goals
The beginning term or so of FDR’s presidency did not include much foreign interaction. Notable events were his reorganization of the Soviet Union as a nation, which represents how he was trying to get on better terms with the Russians as things were looking bad in Germany. Roosevelt did not want a worldwide effort to fight the depression, as represented from his “bombshell” message to the world monetary conference which ended the worldwide effort to stabilize currencies. Later in the ‘30s, Roosevelt improved relations with Latin America with his Good Neighbor Policy. He removed US troops from Haiti, Cuba and Panama. This shows how he wanted to ally with the entire continent but not dominate it, since if he were to dominate it small Latin nations may seek help from communistic or fascist governments.
In the late thirties Europe was edging closer to World War 2. While Roosevelt supported the allies and wanted to remain neutral to fighting but assist Britain and France, the US people clamored for not allowing us to sell them arms with the Neutrality Act. These acts really hurt Britain and France early on in the war; had France been able to easily purchase planes from the US the German invasion of France wouldn’t have been even close to as easy as it ended up being. As time went by, Roosevelt began to help the Allies more and more. After Paris fell the nation was nearly in total agreement to support the allies, and they passed the influential Lend-Lease Act which said that we would give weapons to Britain, China, and later the Soviet Union. Roosevelt wanted to help the allies as much as possible without being dragged into the war. He wasn’t naïve, however. He built up the army and navy in 1940-1941, since it seemed that eventually the US would be dragged into the war.
After Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt’s goals were pretty simple. Win the war. Crush Germany, Italy, and Japan. He quickly rallied the armies and helped the British and Russians by supplying them with lots of weapons. The US assisted the British with invasions of Nazi Africa, then campaigns up into Italy, and finally on D-Day, the US invaded Normandy, and we began fighting our way into the continent. Roosevelt felt that the European war was more important than the Pacific one against the Japanese, probably because the Pacific was such a large ocean and he wanted to stop the holocaust. He didn’t neglect the Pacific war, though, as the US utilized the Island Hoping Strategy so that they could use their powerful air force. Roosevelt forced all Japanese, Italian, and German Americans into Internment camps, because they could’ve been working for the enemy nations. This represents how he was taking no chances and wasn’t naïve enough to let them free, even if it was somewhat inhumane.
Relationship with Congress
FDR enjoyed a good relationship with Congress, facing major opposition very rarely, the most notable in his attempts at being able to add judges to the Supreme Court since the standing ones were old and super conservative. This was poor judgment as it appeared as dictatorial and would give even more power to the executive branch, thus destroying the holy checks and balances of American Government. Besides that instance though, Roosevelt enjoyed a great relationship with Congress. At the beginning of his career as president, Congress was vastly dominated by Democrats, at one point by over 2/3 majority in both houses. His 100 days Congress shows how he and Congress worked hand in hand to fight the depression and create the New Deal. Later in his career, Congress became more and more Republican. However, this occurred during the World War 2 era, and the two parties enjoyed a lot of bipartisan cooperation throughout the war. They all had their eyes on the prize, and even the most extreme modern conservatives respect FDR’s strong wartime leadership.
Best Decision
When considering this, one could debate either the New Deal or his World War 2 leadership. However, its pretty obvious that his leadership was by far his greatest achievement. Sure, the New Deal was significant, and he handled his extremely difficult job of getting us out of the depression well, but the New Deal didn’t fully work, and World War 2 not only pulled us out of the depression but is also the turning point in American history as it begins the era of the US being a true global superpower.
FDR, before the war had even started, had the navy and army prepared. This is a good decision because he wasn’t naïve or weak enough to decide to neglect either in order to maintain peace. Its pretty obvious that you can’t make peace with countries like Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy or Imperial Japan. Thus, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, we already had a pretty powerful navy and didn’t get overrun by the Japanese. Also notable is Roosevelt’s support in the air force, which undoubtedly won the Pacific war for the US. World War 2 is significant in that it’s the first war where the best air force effectively obliterated the enemy powers. Also, FDR sponsored the Manhattan Project, which utilized ingenious scientists such as Albert Einstein to design Nuclear bombs. While this had negative effects in the future with the Cold War, and even today, since Nuclear weapons are a great threat to worldwide security, it was a good decision by Roosevelt in case he desperately needed to quickly defeat the Germans or Japanese(which Truman did end up doing).
World War 2 further boosted the nation by finally employing everyone, Men could now be drafted into the army, or work in factories to make weapons. Women also got jobs helping the US produce massive weapons. WW2 marks the true end to the depression, and would lead to a later decade of immense economic boom for the United States. Although many soldiers died during WW2, which is tragic, the was managed to greatly improve the entire nation, which is why Roosevelt’s leadership during it is his greatest achievement.
Worst Decision
FDR did make some mistakes during his presidency, and his most significant one was the Judiciary Reorganization Bill of 1937. He tried to essentially get Congress to approve a bill which would give him the power to admit a new sitting judge to Supreme Court for every member above the age of 70.5 years old with a maximum of 6 appointees. This was greatly opposed by not only the public and republicans but also by even his own party and Vice President Garner. He had overstepped his boundaries with his executive power, and it seemed as though he was becoming an authoritarian leader. It most certainly weakened his otherwise unmatched popularity and perhaps struck some fear in the hearts of citizens who did not want to have a dictator ruling the country(Not that the bill was that extreme). In reality it was simply Roosevelt’s way of trying to get the Supreme Court to cooperate with his reforms, as they oftentimes shot them down saying that they were unconstitutional. In a way, this act did do its true purpose, as the justices did take a hint and started being more cooperative. Roosevelt’s intensions were good, but this Bill was a terrible way of going about it.
Lasting Impact
FDR was a very influential president. He pulled the nation out of the great depression and greatly reformed the stock market as well as the US banking system. He took the nation off of the gold standard and moved it to our current non-metal backed currency. He introduced the Nation to Social Security, which is still utilized today for the retired as well as the unemployed. Furthermore, he completely changed the entire world during World War 2. He ended the holocaust and defeated the evil Nazi and Fascist dictatorships. He led to the US dominance of the planet as the world’s #1 power, and his going into WW2 finally ended the terrible decade of the Great Depression. In leading the country in the way he did, he greatly changed the caliber of the executive branch, and his decision to lead for a third term eventually led to the 22nd Amendment which set the limit at 2. The country was a very different place after FDR died.
In conclusion, FDR was a great president and deserves an A+ for his presidency. His New Deal helped the US fight the depression and his leadership through WW2 was brilliant and very influential. When he left office, the economy was booming and the US would go on to be the world’s most powerful nation. The only president who did a better job than FDR was Lincoln, and it’s a close race between the two. The two ironically have similar stories. Both led the nation through a great trial and then died almost immediately after their job was completed. FDR will be remembered forever as a great leader and one of the best presidents to ever lead the nation.
Works CitedDegregorio, William A. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. Fort Lee: Barricade Books, 2005. Print."Franklin D. Roosevelt |." The White House. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/franklindroosevelt/>."Franklin D. Roosevelt -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Delano_Roosevelt>."Franklin D. Roosevelt." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. <http://www.nps.gov/archive/elro/glossary/roosevelt-franklin.htm>."Great Depression in the United States -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression_in_the_United_States>."New Deal -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal>."World War II -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II>.